Mashiki

Mashiki stretches from the plains of Higo toward the hills of Yabe. In the sixteenth century the Aso family maintained a residence and a castle at Yabe, making it a centre of their local power. Farther west, Kiyama lay on the routes through the district. During the conflict surrounding the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Katō Kiyomasa captured Kiyama and stayed there before moving against the forces of Konishi Yukinaga at Uto.